Borrowed from Middle French illumination, from Late Latin illuminatio, from Latin illumino. Equivalent to illuminate +‎ -ion.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪˌlumɪˈneɪʃən/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪˌl(j)umɪˈneɪʃən/

• Audio (US):

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• Rhymes: -eɪʃən
• Hyphenation: il‧lu‧mi‧na‧tion

illumination (countable and uncountable, plural illuminations)

1. The act of illuminating, or supplying with light; the state of being illuminated.

   The room was filled with soft illumination from the candles.

   • 1927, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados Mysteries:

     The people hereabouts, sir, would seem to dispense with street illumination, and it is very dark tonight.

2. Festive decoration of houses or buildings with lights.
3. Adornment of books and manuscripts with colored illustrations. See illuminate (transitive verb).
4. (figurative) Splendour; brightness.
5. (figurative) Enlightening influence; inspiration.

   The philosopher’s work gave intellectual illumination to many.

• lumination (rare)

• illuminator

Borrowed from Late Latin illuminātiōnem, from Latin illuminō.

• IPA^(key): /i.ly.mi.na.sjɔ̃/

• Audio:

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• Audio (France (Lyon)):

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illumination f (plural illuminations)

1. enlightenment (philosophy and psychology related to achieving clarity of perception, reason and knowledge)
2. illumination, lighting

• illuminer

• “illumination”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012